1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods of applying a treatment to a surface and, in particular, manually applying a uniform plasma treatment to a surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surfaces of some materials must be treated to improve properties of the surface prior to operations such as bonding. One traditional method of surface treatment is use of a gas plasma stream to activate the material on the surface, wherein a plasma is created by an arc operating at a frequency in the kilohertz to megahertz range. Treating a surface using a gas plasma stream requires that a delicate balance must be maintained with regard to the type and amount of gas provided as well as the voltage of the arc and the distance that the plasma has to travel from the plasma gun nozzle to the surface being treated. Other types of surface treatment include plasma spray treatment where a feedstock material, such as a ceramic or oxide, is introduced into a plasma jet created by a high-voltage arc and thereby melted and driven toward the surface where the feedstock material is deposited as a coating. These types of surface treatment are typically carried out in a robotically controlled environment, such as the robotic work station depicts in FIG. 1, so as to provide the control and repeatability required for successful treatment of the surface.
It is sometimes necessary to apply a gas plasma or other type of surface treatment to a surface that is located within a structure or in the field as part of a repair. It is very difficult to accomplish this type of surface treatment using a robotic system. Manual application of a surface treatment requires that the treatment device be passed over the surface to be treated at a constant distance and at a constant speed. This is, at best, difficult to accomplish even with a skilled operator. In addition, variations in technique between different operators may lead to variations in the surface treatment, leading to variable results in the overall results of the process.